And The Sun Sets On Summer…Goodbye, August

And one day, we ventured off toward the sea, along with everyone else. And when three hours turned into five, we arrived. You see, it was worth the hours, for we had a picnic on a cliff overlooking the sea on a blanket spread for four. We watched the waves roll in from the other side of the world and listened as the surf reached in and said “rush, rush.” Little sandy lanes meandered towards the sea as if they had all the time in the world, calling our name to come, see the sea. A cool wind rustled about us, a few misty clouds clung to the crevices in the mountains, and a cardigan felt exactly right. We ventured on across the ever-so-iconic Bixby Bridge, which boasts almost one hundred years of life. Climbing on up the road, the cardigan fell away, and the windows were let down. Warmth surrounded the world like a soft hug. The sunshine sparkled on tranquil turquoise waters, and like a broken record, I never did quit squeaking over the blue of those waters. For really, how can one not exclaim when a color such as that is spreading toward the far horizon? Big Sur welcomed us amongst giant Redwood trees. The view of the sea far, far below, shimmering through the trees, was rather enchanting. If you are ever in Big Sur, you must stay at Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn, for the rooms are delightfully charming. (We did not stay for the night.) On down the winding road that clung to the mountainside. The famous HWY 1 road, you know. Dramatically beautiful views continued until we reached McWay Falls. Oh no! Words shall fail me now. The waterfall falling onto a pristine, untouched beach…straight up glory on full display. I could not look away for ever so long. And then we left. I dare say we may never get back, as our time in this beautiful state of California seems to be dwindling swiftly.McWay Falls. 

Bixby Bridge.

When early morning light begins creeping through the tiny cracks in the blinds, Brent arises and sets off on his four-mile walk. This walk takes him by a bus stop where a homeless man named Tommy lives. He is homeless by choice, as his wife left him twelve years ago and he has no children of his own. He is Italian and sixty-eight years old. He will most definitely live to be ninety, he says. He only drinks a couple of beers a week and smokes weed on occasion. We have never found him high or intoxicated. But oh, he loves to talk. Brent often gets stuck talking to him for thirty minutes or an hour in the mornings. In the evening, we usually walk that loop again as a family and he loves to see the boys. He says he knows God is not pleased with his lifestyle, but he made a deal with God and that is that he just does not ask God for anything and therefore does not expect anything from God. Oh dear.

We attended Tristan and Ang’s wedding weekend in Glenn. Bryce and Savannah invited us to stay with them, so the best times were spent with friends. (Still seems too good to be true that I am living only a few hours away from a life-long friend. Currently trying to soak it up.) We went to Logan and Karen’s on Sunday evening and helped serve tacos to a large group of youth. Monday morning found us at Steve and Kendra Geisbrect’s for some quality time before heading back to the city. (May have also bought a few pieces of to-die-for cute fabric from The Tin Cup Market that Kendra runs.)

It was Ballico’s turn to come for Sunday service this month. We were gone all day Saturday swimming at Bennie’s and then attending Janae’s 30th birthday bash at Barry Friesen’s. But I took my bread for Sunday along with me and it forgave me for the ride there and back as it tried to rise between stretches and folds. We managed to pull off Sunday company without too many glitches. Definitely could not miss a birthday party for a good friend like Janae. Jonathon and Krista Dyck came, and they invited Peter and Dana Loewen from Glenn to come as well. We had a swell time. Since there happened to be twelve children in our small space, we went downtown for some open air and sunshine. (Ice cream and coffee too, duh.)

Curt and Lois invited us out for tacos in downtown one warm August evening. Turned out to be very pleasant sitting outside in the shade. We found ourselves in the vineyard after supper. Curt has several varieties of grapes that are ripe and hanging in great clusters of delicious sweetness. So fun to pick and eat and pick and eat. The peach tree, tomatoes, and figs just so happened to be laden with bounty as well. We went home with boxes full of beautiful organic produce. But first, we enjoyed one of Lois’s homemade apricot popsicles as a late summer sun set over purple mountains. We have been so thankful for Curt and Lois’s friendship. It is nice knowing we have friends close by. I got busy the next day making fig preserves, putting peaches in the freezer, making pizza sauce, and squeezing fresh grape juice. (Also, sourdough English Muffins, because how can one have fig preserves if you do not have a freshly buttered and toasted English Muffin to slather it upon?)

Labor Day weekend was spent in Ballico. We stayed the night at Bennie and Sher’s. It was high time, as we had not been there for a night in quite some time. Bennie builds and services pools for a living, so we got to enjoy their beautiful in-ground pool for the weekend. We met friends for pizza Saturday night, Brent grilled pork chops for lunch Sunday, and we served supper to the youth Sunday night. Monday, I got invited to swim with some girls, so Brent watched the boys while I went. Monday evening Jaylen and Dani got a Labor Day deal around for the Ballico couples at Yolanda’s. Iced coffees before supper, Jamaican jerk, peach shortcake, and yard games. Enjoyed every minute before setting Silvia’s headlights toward the city. (In bed before midnight for a change.)

We met Jeremy and Vicki Koehn for supper at The Boathouse at River Islands in Lathrop one evening in August as well. They are from Livingston. They joined us for Sunday service one month and we really hit it off. They have two little girls. The Boathouse is such a perfect spot for meeting halfway. (We were there for Brent and Elliot’s birthdays, so you may remember me writing about it before.) We made a special stop at Ghirardelli after supper.

Lester and Francine, our field secretaries, came to spend a tract route day with us. It was fun showing them what we’ve been up to and the work we’ve been doing. We took them to our favorite Indian restaurant for lunch, and I think they enjoyed it. Getting some positive feedback and encouragement on our tract work was good. We are actually doing ok. 😅 You know how you sometimes just feel like you're still a kid and not actually a somewhat mature adult being a missionary in California. 😱

We spent a day touring around Capitola Village, which is nestled along the shores of Monterey Bay. A very colorful little seaside village full of shops, restaurants, and beaches. We watched some whales breaching off the coast a ways, walked the pier, ate at a tiny hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese place, and relaxed on the beach at Sea Cliff.Capitola Village.

 The Beach at Sea Cliff.  

Ok, this is for August…and here it is September already. We are currently on one of our very long routes in San Jose. Traffic is unsatisfactory, but it’s rainy and cloudy and oh-so-cozy and we ate lunch in a darling little main street cafe. So, life continues to be good.